Indian Legends of California and the Southwest

Two More Coyote Stories
from the Pima

Reading
time: 4 minutes. Word count: 700 words.

Here you
will see how a woman is able to trick Coyote, who is trying to get some of her
tortillas. In another story, the first creature to die in the world is the Rabbit,
who was bitten by "Soft Child," the Rattlesnake. Since this is the first
time anyone has died, the animals must decide what to do with the dead Rabbit's
body.

Coyote and the Tortillas (Pima,
Arizona)

Once upon a time, a river rose very high and spread all over
the land. An Indian woman was going along the trail by the river side with a
basket of tortillas on her head, but she was wading in water up to her waist.
Now Coyote was afraid of the water, so he had climbed into a cottonwood tree.
When the woman came up the trail, Coyote called, "Oh, come to this tree
and give me some of those nice tortillas."

The woman said, "No. I can't give them to you; they are
for somebody else."

"If you do not come here I will shoot you," said
Coyote, and the woman really thought he had a bow. So she came to the tree and
said, "You must come down and get them. I can't climb trees."

Coyote came down as far as he dared, but he was afraid of the
deep water. The woman laughed at him. She said, "Just see how shallow it
is. It's only up to my ankles." But she was standing on a big stump. Coyote
looked at the water. It seemed shallow and safe enough, so he jumped. But the
water was deep and he was drowned. Then the woman went on up the trail.

How the Rattlesnake Learned to Bite (Pima, Arizona)

After people and the animals were created, they all lived together.
Rattlesnake was there, and was called Soft Child because he was so soft in his
motions. The people liked to hear him rattle and little rest did he get because
they continually poked and scratched him so that he would shake the rattles
in his tail. At last Rattlesnake went to Elder Brother to ask help. Elder Brother
pulled a hair from his own lip, cut it in short pieces, and made it into teeth
for Soft Child.

"If any one bothers you," he said, "bite him."

That very evening Ta-api, Rabbit, came to Soft Child as he
had done before and scratched him. Soft Child raised his head and bit Rabbit.
Rabbit was angry and scratched again. Soft Child bit him again. Then Rabbit
ran about saying that Soft Child was angry and had bitten him. Then he went
to Rattlesnake again, and twice more he was bitten.

The bites made Rabbit very sick. He asked for a bed of cool
sea sand. Coyote was sent to the sea for the cool, damp sand. Then Rabbit asked
for the shade of bushes that he might feel the cool breeze. But at last Rabbit
died. He was the first creature which had died in this new world.

Then the people were troubled because they did not know what
to do with the body of Rabbit. One said, "If we bury him, Coyote will surely
dig him up."

Another said, "If we hide him, Coyote will surely find
him."

And another said, "If we put him in a tree, Coyote will
surely climb up."

So they decided to burn the body of Rabbit, and yet there was
no fire on earth.

Blue Fly said, "Go to Sun and get some of the fire which
he keeps in his house," So Coyote scampered away, but he was sure the people
were trying to get rid of him so he kept looking back.

Then Blue Fly made the first fire drill. Taking a stick like
an arrow he twirled it in his hands, letting the lower end rest on a flat stick
that lay on the ground. Soon smoke began to arise, and then fire came. The people
gathered fuel and began their duty.

But Coyote, looking back, saw fire ascending. He turned and
ran back as fast as he could go. When the people saw him coming, they formed
a ring, but he raced around the circle until he saw two short men standing together.
He jumped over them, and seized the heart of Rabbit. But he burned his mouth
doing it, and it is black to this day.

Questions. Make sure you can answer these questions
about what you just read: